Domino's Pizza continues to serve up sales growth, as pizza remains one of the most coveted takeouts through the pandemic, according to CEO Ritch Allison.
"It was a strong first quarter for the Domino's brand, with balanced growth across all areas of our global business," Allison said.
More than 75% of Domino's revenue now comes from digital platforms, up from 70% before the COVID-19 pandemic, and Allison told CNBC's Jim Cramer Thursday that the trend is unlikely to reverse.
"Once customers shift to digital ordering, they don't go back to calling restaurants on the phone."
On Thursday morning, Domino's announced its first quarter results. Global retail sales increased 16.7 from a year ago, while same-store sales in the United States increased 13.4%, according to the company. Its shares rose 3% in Thursday trading, closing at $415.98. So far this year, the stock is up 8.48%.
Over the last decade, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company has heavily invested in the business to carry it into the digital age.
Domino's is expanding the store count and implementing new technology to make ordering and obtaining food quicker and easier. In Houston, the company is collaborating with Nuro to test an automated driving vehicle delivery system.
According to the companies, the service is limited to a single Domino's location in Houston's Woodland Heights neighborhood and is available to a limited number of customers who place prepaid orders online.
Nuro received federal approval in February 2020 to begin driving its R2 vehicle on public roads. The state of California also gave Nuro a license to run on public roads in April 2020.
The service, according to the companies, is limited to a single Domino's location in Houston's Woodland Heights neighborhood and is only available to a limited number of customers who place prepaid orders online.
Nuro's pizza delivery collaboration with Domino's follows the company's previous pilot projects in Mountain View, California, with Walmart, Kroger and CVS.
In 2019, Domino's and Nuro started testing automated driving delivery in Houston. Since the pandemic, there has been an increase in the demand for more contactless forms of food distribution, making autonomous delivery vehicles an appealing option.
